13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Who is Claire Foy's ex-barman boyfriend, singer-songwriter Charlie Cunningham?
Singer-songwriter Charlie Cunningham, boyfriend of actress Claire Foy. Photos: Getty Images, AFP Fame and celebrity
When asked by Rocknfool Magazine to share details about his personal life beyond the four its reporter had found online – that he is an Aquarius, has travelled to Spain, worked as a barman and lived in Oxford – Charlie Cunningham offered little additional insight.
'I'm Aquarius, I lived in Spain, I was a barman and I live in London now, I don't live in Oxford,' he more or less repeated, humorously, while highlighting his preference for privacy. 'That's a new thing! But I did live in Oxford, I was a barman there before I went to Spain,' he said. The response was unexpected, considering Cunningham's role as a musician: a publicly performing singer-songwriter and guitarist. According to the Daily Mail, he has also been linked romantically with British actress Claire Foy, 40, since 2023, a relationship that has attracted media attention given her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix drama series The Crown .
Despite this, he continues to maintain a low profile regarding his personal life. So what else do we know about him? He was influenced by Stevie Wonder and Elton John Charlie Cunningham performing in France in 2019. Photo: @cunninghamcharlie/Instagram Charlie Cunningham – thought to be 41 – was born and raised in Bedfordshire, England, per AllMusic and first picked up a guitar as a teenager. His musical influences include bands such as Sigur Rós and Mogwai and he played in hardcore and experimental indie rock groups. He was also introduced to classic songwriters including Stevie Wonder and Elton John at a young age, according to The Bluegrass Situation podcast.
'I've always liked all sorts of music, but particularly acoustic guitar music. I used to listen to a lot of people like John Martyn and Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen – those kinds of people, playing that fingerpicking style,' he told fellow singer-songwriter Sallie Ford on the podcast. 'I wanted to learn how to do that. I'd run out of tools, as far as playing goes.' His discovery of flamenco music Charlie Cunningham performing in 2024. Photo: @cunninghamcharlie/Instagram
